How much of an Exception is Cancer?


In order to make the most of your stay, Canyon Ranch asks each visitor to fill out an extensive "Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire". How you answer the questionnaire helps the resort plan an individualized, highly customized, "once in a lifetime" stay for each visitor (their savvy marketing words which I respect and hope are true!)
I sat down this morning to fill out my questionnaire. I was answering the questions without much thought when suddenly the question "In general, how would you describe your health?" popped up. I had the choice of selecting, "Excellent", "Good", "Fair" or "Poor". I quickly answered "excellent" and moved on. Dave looked over my shoulder and said "I don't think you can say that you are in excellent health"....hmm, this is a dilemma.
How do I answer this question? In my heart and soul, I do feel excellent. Yes, I have occasional side effects from the chemo and yes I tend to sleep a lot at night. But my workouts have been solid, I eat well and I take very good care of myself. With the exception of cancer I am very healthy!
So, I guess the real question is, "how much of an exception is cancer?" It is hard for me to accept and truly believe that my body is not well. Before I was diagnosed in December, 2004 I felt very unhealthy. The fevers, night sweats and flu-like symptoms made me feel horrible. However, since we found the tumors 3+ years ago and have had a medical plan in place, most days I feel great!
I understand why I need to tell Canyon Ranch that I have cancer but can’t I still say that I rate my health as “excellent?” If my mind and body feel great, why does a condition or a word like cancer get in the way of how I describe myself to other people?
I spent all day today pondering how to answer the questionnaire. I decide to go with “Excellent” with an * that says I have been actively dealing with cancer for the past 3.5 years. ndition to define who I am or how I feel!
That being said, I had a bit of a tough weekend with chemo. I went into my treatment on Friday with a cold which made the chemo a lot harder to handle. The nausea and exhaustion stayed with me for Friday night and most of Saturday but now I am back on my feet.
Heading to the gym now to stay true to my “excellent” health status.